by Justin Sloan
Robin laughed, then grimaced in pain as she held her injury and took a breather.
They rested for a moment, ignoring the glances of a few passersby, and then continued the rest of the way. Valerie was surprised to see what looked like a little procession in front of the mansion.
While most Skulla wore clothes that didn’t stand out as crazy, this group was an exception. They had larger heads than normal too, and Valerie had to assume they’d had brain modifications. Around their heads were wreaths of red and blue metal adorned with shiny stones in a pattern that resembled the stars. Each wore a long silver cloak with the hood down, except for the one in the middle. She had her hood up, but it only covered the back half of her head. Beneath the open robes they wore an assortment of blues and reds, with sashes and all.
Valerie glanced at her companion and saw that Robin was doing her damnedest not to laugh.
“This ought to be fun,” Robin said.
“Maybe for you,” Valerie replied. “I’m the one who’s going to be kissing their asses.”
“Kiss asses today to kick asses tomorrow.”
“Shut up.” Valerie ignored the corny wink, strolling forward to see what this was about.
As she approached she saw that it wasn’t only this oddly dressed group in the courtyard. Warlord Palnik and several of his guards were there as well, sitting in their midst and sharing some sort of steaming beverage with an old female. The hooded female stood at her back, eyes moving to Valerie and Robin as they approached.
“That will be close enough, Wandrei,” she said.
Valerie paused, wondering what would happen if she continued to walk forward. They might attack, and then she’d have to kill them all… Not her goal here, so she stayed put.
“Ah, my champion made it!” Palnik announced, and stood with a smile and outstretched arms. “Oh, no, you’re injured! I trust you still wish to proceed?”
“I do.”
Nothing about his expression gave away any knowledge of the attack on the way over, but Valerie had a good notion he knew.
A glance at her arm showed it was mostly healed, and when she turned to Robin she saw that hers was the same. Their clothes were torn and singed more than made sense considering their wounds, but no one seemed to need an explanation.
“We want a chance at citizenship,” Valerie offered, “same as everyone else.”
“And yet,” the female seated opposite Palnik stood, “you are nothing like everyone else. You are from the Etheric Federation, no?” She was short and slender, her braids adorned with those shiny stones and interwoven with the colored metal.
A hint of cold seemed to roll off the female at the mention of the Etheric Federation, so Valerie decided to wing it.
“Exiles, ma’am. We saw their expansion, we challenged it. Now we’re seeking a fresh start here.”
“Is that so?” the female turned to them, hands behind her back, and asked, “Your letter of introduction?”
Valerie presented the disk. Nothing in the female’s expression conveyed surprise or boredom at the exchange as she accepted it. She checked the disk in a holo-display built into an advanced mechanical contraption on her arm. Now that Valerie looked closely, she saw that beneath the robes there were several bulging areas that hinted at the possibility of other such contraptions. She wondered what they were capable of; what sort of technology this group might have that those from Earth still lacked.
“Everything seems in order,” the female said, touching two fingers to her forehead in what Valerie figured was similar to a handshake or a bow. “Welcome to the Damu Michezo.”
Swarthian Extended Detention Environment (SEDE)
Kalan clawed at the invisible hand holding his throat to no avail; the Shimmer would not be letting go anytime soon. The hand was pressing hard, making breathing difficult and speaking impossible.
For once Kalan was glad he had Bob on his side.
“Kill you?” Bob shouted at the politician. “Are you fucking serious right now? We’re not here to kill you! We’re here to rescue you.”
Sslake kept his eyes fixed on Kalan. “That seems unlikely. Two men do not a rescue party make.”
“It does when those two men are awesome!” Bob countered. He paused for a moment, staring at the apparently occupied spot in front of Kalan. “And you! Watch your mouth, you invisible bastard. Kalan’s my friend. I know his breath is not the greatest, but we’ve been trying to break in here for the past day and a half, so he hasn’t had a chance to brush his teeth.”
For the first time Sslake’s cool demeanor waivered. “Hold on, you can hear her?”
Bob’s eyes narrowed. “That thing’s a girl? You’re shacking up with a girl Shimmer?”
“Not like that,” Sslake snapped. He sighed. “Wearl, let him down please. Let’s hear what they have to say.”
To Kalan’s great relief the fingers around his neck loosened and he collapsed to the floor, gasping for air. After a moment, he struggled to his feet and wiped the tears from his eyes.
“As my friend said,” Kalan croaked hoarsely, “we’re here to rescue you.”
Sslake frowned. “I see. And your big plan was to get arrested and sentenced to SEDE? What’s Step Two?”
“We’re not big planners,” Bob said.
Kalan ignored the comment. “We weren’t arrested, sir. We snuck aboard a transport carrying contraband. He’s Bob, and my name’s Kalan. I’m a former inmate here.”
Sslake looked surprised at that. “Why in the dusty hells would you come back here voluntarily?”
“Because we need you.” Kalan took a deep breath. He knew this next part was important. He needed to get Sslake on board quickly so they could get moving. “Things are bad out there, Minister. The Bandian is extorting beings dry with his various protection schemes. The only chance most people have of moving up in society is the fighting pits, and that usually means death. Economies are crumbling, and war is on the horizon.”
For a moment Sslake looked like he was going to argue, but then he sighed and sank onto the concrete bench near the door. “Nobir. I’ve known him since long before he started calling himself ‘the Bandian.’ Since before he was a warlord, even. I’d been busting him for his illegal genetic experiments for years, but I underestimated him.”
“It’s not your fault, sir,” Kalan said.
Sslake grimaced. “How a former SEDE prisoner is qualified to determine that I do not know, but thank you.” He thought for a moment. “Say you’re right. Say that against all odds you somehow manage to get me out of here. The Bandian is still in charge, right? I don’t want to live my life on the run. I might as well stay here.”
“We have friends working on taking down the Bandian.”
“Who?”
Kalan exchanged a glance with Bob. “A covert team operating under orders from the Etheric Federation.”
Sslake sat up a bit straighter. “Ah, that’s your game. Save me and I’m in your debt, is that it? You’ll get a political ally?”
Bob answered before Kalan could. “We just want to do what’s right, sir.”
Sslake shrugged. “I doubt you’re as noble as all that. Still, I never had a problem with the Etheric Federation. I’ve heard the scary stories about their queen like everybody else, but I don’t believe them. As far as I can tell they have been a force for good in the galaxy. I simply wasn’t ready to join them.”
Kalan nodded slowly. “Honestly, sir, I couldn’t give two shits about the Etheric Federation, but I know the good you did in office and I’d like to do my part to put you back there.”
Bob tilted his head a moment. “Wearl says that’s a sensible approach.”
A high-pitched bell near the door rang.
“Ha!” Sslake laughed. “I guess you really can hear her. Look.” He pointed at two bells dangling from strings on the wall, one twice the size of the other. “We had to devise a method of basic communication and that’s what we came up with. She rings the small bell for yes a
nd the larger one for no.”
The smaller bell tinkled again.
“How’d you end up with a roommate, sir?” Kalan asked. “This is the isolation block. Isn’t the whole point for you to be segregated?”
Sslake smiled. “Theoretically. The truth is, Wearl took a liking to me and the other Shimmers couldn’t figure out how to keep her away. From what I’ve been able to determine through yes and no questions, the other Shimmers think she’s crazy. I guess she killed a couple of them. They tried to put her in gen pop, but she made her way here. Isn’t that right?”
The small bell rang.
“She also says she likes your politics,” Bob added.
Sslake let out a full-throated laugh. “You’re going to be handy to have around, friend. You’ve figured out more about her in five minutes than I have in two years. So seriously, what’s the plan? I’m not saying I’ll go with you, but if I did?”
Kalan thought a moment before answering. “We wait for Etter to come back through. When he does, he’ll take us out into the restricted area, and from there, we make our way to our ride and fly back to Tol.”
Sslake raised an eyebrow. “Your ride? You have a way out of here?”
He willed Bob not to speak as he answered, “We do.” It was only a partial lie. They didn’t have a ride, but he was pretty sure he knew how they could get one.
“Look, I’m not trying to be self-important here,” Sslake said, “but from the guards’ perspective I’m the most valuable prisoner in SEDE. The Bandian commanded them to keep me locked up and alive. He doesn’t want me to be a martyr, and he certainly doesn’t want me running free. He wants to break me, and then announce I’m alive and make me publicly support him. What I’m saying is, I’m going to need a little more than ‘We have a ride’.”
Kalan looked him in the eye. “You have my word I’m going to get you out of here. Right now that’s all I can give you.”
“Huh,” Sslake grunted. “So Etter just walks us out of the isolation block?”
Bob nodded. “He’s got that hand-chip-thing. Opens these doors.”
Sslake stared at Bob a moment, then the color drained from his face. “Oh, you idiots. You absolute fools.”
Bob and Kalan looked at each, both confused.
“What is it?” Kalan asked.
“You said you’re a former inmate, right? That means you have a SEDE chip implant.”
“Sure,” Kalan agreed, “but I didn’t use it.”
Sslake shook his head in disbelief. “You don’t have to use them. The chips aren’t only for opening doors, they’re for tracking inmates. If you have the chip, they’ve been tracking you since the moment you stepped into the cell block. They know you’re here. They have to.”
Kalan shook his head. Was that even possible?
“Damn it all,” Bob exclaimed. “You said it yourself, Kalan. All SEDE prisoners have chips implanted.”
“I don’t believe it,” Kalan said. “Why would they do that? Why didn’t they take me down the moment they discovered me?”
Bob listened for a moment, then said, “Wearl thinks they wanted to know your plan. What you were after. Now that they know, they should be descending on you and tearing you to shreds at any moment.”
“Thanks, Wearl. Okay, look, if that really is the case then we have to get ready. Prepare for a fight.”
“Wearl says it’s too late.” Bob’s voice trembled when he spoke. “She can sense the other Shimmers, and they’re coming. Now.”
A silence hung over the room for a long moment. This was it—Kalan had failed. The full force of the guards of SEDE was about to descend on him and Bob. They were as good as dead.
Thinking they could rescue Minister Sslake had been foolish. Pure hubris, through and through. And assuming he could waltz into the most secure prison in the galaxy? Of course they had let him walk in. He was an idiot to have thought otherwise.
The only thing more foolish was the assumption that he’d be able to walk out of SEDE with their most important prisoner. The one they’d do anything to protect…
Kalan looked up sharply. “Bob, give me your pistol.”
“Uh, I don’t think so. I’m not the one who gave mine to my mommy. If there’s a fight coming—”
“Would you trust me and hand it over?”
Reluctantly Bob pulled the pistol from his sleeve and handed it to Kalan.
“Thank you.” Kalan rose and walked to the door. “Minister, do you mind coming here a moment?”
Sslake did as he asked, stepping onto the crumbling landing with Kalan.
They waited for only a few moments before the door at the far end of the room opened. Kalan didn’t see anyone come through, but the door stayed open for a long time.
“Are they here?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Bob answered. “They’re here, and they are not happy.”
“Good.” Kalan threw an arm around Sslake’s neck and pulled the minister in front of him.
“What are you doing?” Sslake asked, his voice alive with panic.
“Shut up,” Kalan replied. He pressed the barrel of Bob’s pistol into the minister’s temple, then spoke in a loud voice to the invisible throng in front of him. “I need everyone to stay very still. Any of you Shimmer bastards puts one see-through foot on this landing, I blow Sslake’s brains out.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Planet Tol: the Fighting Arena
Valerie had been assigned a room at the stadium, where she had spent the pre-fight hours stretching, meditating, and being briefed on the rules.
Early rounds of the Damu Michezo were generally fought hand-to-hand, without armor. Those who chose to advance in their quest for glory, titles, and power would see the use of armor and weapons. But later.
They had given her an outfit that fit oddly and was much too small. She didn’t want to think about the dark stains at key points or wonder how many fighters had died in these very clothes.
While the streets were mostly full of Skulla, the arena’s fighter halls were full of various other alien races, though she only caught glances. At one point she thought she saw the backside of an upright rhino, but didn’t want to make it awkward by running over to have a look.
“I would ask if you’re ready,” Garcia said, leaning out the window and watching the crowds gather, “but you being Valerie, I’m not worried.”
“Neither am I,” Valerie replied, wondering if they bought it. While she was confident in her abilities, the unknown had always given her more unease than anything else. She could be facing off against the devil himself and not be too worried as long as she knew what she was up against.
Here, anything was possible.
Robin, however, approached the wall and leaned close so that only Valerie could see her face. She gave her a concerned look before whispering, “Are you sure?”
Valerie nodded, turning to the group again. “Whatever happens out there, we know this: I can heal from a damn lot. So can you all, after the mods. Robin’s a crazy assassin, Garcia’s this badass sergeant who could take down an entire base by himself even without the mods, and Flynn… Well, I don’t know much about you, actually, Flynn, but you’re buff and tall. That’s gotta at least intimidate them.”
“I can hold my own,” the corporal said with a laugh. “Just can’t stand toe to toe with Garcia here. You sell him short—a base? I’d be willing to put money on him taking down this whole planet if we unleashed him.”
“Might not be any survivors when I was done,” Garcia replied with a barking laugh, “but you tell me to do it, I get it done.”
Flynn nodded, clasping the sergeant’s shoulder. “Point proven, badass.”
“What is your story anyway?” Robin asked Flynn, turning to him now. “I mean, if TH put his trust in you there must’ve been a reason.”
“Colonel Walton? I didn’t serve with him long, but I think he saw loyalty in me.” Flynn stood tall and proud. “It’s what I’m known for, or was, in the crews I ran
with before the colonel.”
“I’ll take loyal over many other qualities,” Valerie admitted. “And don’t sell yourself short—I saw you fight. Just because this beast beat you,” she jerked a thumb in Garcia’s direction, “doesn’t mean you aren’t a fighter.”
His mouth curled in a smile and Valerie felt something sappy coming on, so she cleared her throat and turned back to Robin.
“Okay, throw one at me.”
“What?” Robin asked.
“A punch. You know, to warm me up.” She shook her limbs and took a defensive stance.
The other two stepped back, and Robin smiled and came in with a vampiric-speed punch. It nearly caught Valerie but she moved her head just out of its trajectory, an inch away from the fist, and then slammed her palm against the arm, knocking her friend off balance.
“Not bad, but make me work for it.”
Robin came in with a fake kick this time, transitioning to a superman punch and then a one-two and a spinning backhand.
Valerie caught them all, but the follow-on hip-check knocked her into the side punch Robin threw. The pain lasted only a moment, then was healed.
“Let’s hope I’m not facing vampires out there,” Valerie said with a chuckle, rubbing the spot to ensure it was back to normal. “Now you, Flynn.”
He stared at her, mouth open.
“Come on! I need a variety of styles to deal with,” she said. “What if I go up against an octopus or something?”
“I’m an octopus?” he asked.
“Hardly. At the moment you’re more like a slug. Now hit me.”
He cocked his head, clearly torn about something.
“What is it?” she asked.
“It’s just… I don’t hit women.” Everyone started cracking up at that, except for Flynn, who plaintively asked, “What? I don’t. Why’s that funny?”
“You dolt,” Garcia said, wiping away a tear of laughter. “It’s funny that you think you have a shot of actually hitting her.”
That pissed Flynn off and he charged forward. To his credit his style was quite different from Robin’s, going for the giant’s versus the little person’s approach of trying to clobber or grab her.
